In partnership with the World Bank, UNDP is implementing a US$300 million emergency project supporting 2 million Yemenis through cash-for-work, improvements to public service delivery and repairing critical infrastructure. Photo: UNDP Yemen

Yemen is facing an unprecedented political, humanitarian, and development crisis. Long the poorest country in the Arab region, over half its population was living below the poverty line before the current conflict worsened. That number has risen steeply, with over 21.5 million people needing humanitarian assistance now—close to 80 percent of the country’s 28 million people. Yemen’s political transition unravelled into full-blown war in March 2015. It has had a catastrophic impact: We in the United Nations estimate it’s already resulted in over 10,000 civilian injuries and deaths. Over 3 million people are displaced. About US$19 billion in damage to infrastructure and in other economic losses have been caused so far. The conflict has further impoverished the Yemeni population and increased their vulnerability. At least 8 million people are severely food insecure, with over 460,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition. The remarkable resilience of the Yemeni population is being tested to its limits. The war has pushed vulnerable members of the Yemeni population to the brink of famine. The increased lack of food, medicine, electricity, and jobs has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation. The high proportion of Yemenis in need of humanitarian assistance is putting a severe strain on under-funded
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Change agents and leaders, from all sectors and of all ages, are setting the Sustainable Development Goals into motion. Photo: Mónica Suárez / UNDP Peru

Global Goals can be a powerful catalyst of human progress. They make people’s shared aspirations tangible and trackable, directing our attention forward and focusing minds on what unites us. This is one the main lessons learned from 15 years of action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world’s first broadly defined Global Goals. Since their introduction in 2000, the Goals succeeded in many places, capturing the popular imagination and compelling action that improved the lives of millions. The rate of under-five child-deaths (mainly from preventable causes), for example, fell precipitously, according to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals Report. The average annual rise in the child survival between 2000 and 2015 was nearly twice that of the previous decade1. Although far from sufficient, the UN referred to the decline as “one of the most significant achievements in human history”. Last September, leaders from 190 countries followed the path blazed by the MDGs, committing their countries to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs go beyond their MDG predecessors in scale and scope, recognizing that all countries have problems and contributions to make. They seek to eradicate the scourge of poverty, hunger and preventable disease, while improving the prospects of all people,
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International Day of the Girl Child showed us how young women and girls are fighting inequality all over the world. Pictured here are young female computer coders in Kosovo. UNDP photo

This year UNDP celebrated its 50th anniversary and began the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was a momentous year. And helping to narrate it all was our huge network of experts and development practitioners around the world. At UNDP, one of our greatest strengths is our global reach; we’re on the ground in some 170 countries working with governments and citizens from all walks of life. Our blog is where UNDP officials and staff come to share their experience with you and offer their personal take on UNDP’s work. The blog is a space for UNDP colleagues to discuss their work and exchange ideas and opinions. But this year we also opened up our platform to outside voices through a guest blog exchange series with OECD Development Matters that focused on the SDGs. In case you missed it, here are some highlights from the many blog posts we published this year. Six reasons you should care about (yet) another international summit The X-reasons, things to know, etc….is always a successful format, and this one about the World Humanitarian Summit was particularly engaging because of its positive outlook on a difficult topic (Reason 2: It's fixable) and because it
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With US$15 billion in budget focusing on fragile states, India has positioned itself as a great player in SSC. With their help, women from Honduras have learned how to use sustainable energy. UNDP Honduras

We are in the era of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, leaving no one behind. However, one out of five people in the world live in conflicts and fragility. South-South Cooperation (SSC) can deliver important results in fragile and conflict affected contexts, as well as in stable situations. By 2014, international humanitarian assistance from Southern partners almost tripled 2012 levels. In 2015, the largest percentage increases mainly came from the Gulf States. Emerging economies including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, have considerably expanded their cooperation in crisis environments alongside traditional donors. India is estimated to have a budget of US$15 billion in 2012-2017 focusing on fragile states. In addition to its substantial support to crisis recovery, China pledged to add $100 million to help deal with refugee and migrant crises at the UN this year. Neighbouring countries are often among the first to extend a helping hand. With UNDP's facilitation, Jordan provided training for Iraq government to better manage gender based violence, which often becomes more serious after conflicts. Indeed, Culture and language familiarities can group countries together to pursue SSC at scale. Timor-Leste, as the Rotating Presidency of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, expressed full support alongside with a
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My name is Barbara Calixte. I want to tell you about my people, the Haitian people and why we have hope for our country. I joined UNDP after the 2010 earthquake. Seeing such extensive destruction and damage, I knew I wanted to help rebuild my country. With reputation of working hand-in-hand with the Haitian people, UNDP was, for me, an ideal place. It was without a doubt one of the most important decisions of my life. After the earthquake, UNDP supported the government in relief and recovery work. We empowered communities to rebuild smarter and strengthened their ability to respond to future disasters. We talked to people who lost practically everything but who still had pride, will and hope that Haiti could get back on its feet. I’ve seen real, tangible progress. That’s why Hurricane Matthew was so heartbreaking – it swept away much of that progress. But I’ve also seen hope. In Dame-Marie, I met an older couple who lost everything to Matthew. They were rebuilding their house with what meagre resources remained. Yet, they still had that will to fight. That’s the essence of the Haitian character. And that’s what makes it possible for Haitians to continue to fight.
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